Secrets and Stars
by Tink508
Summary: A few years after regaining his memories, Bucky is working for SHIELD, training new agents and working with the Avengers. His newest mission however, gets personal.
1. Chapter 1

I had this plot bunny jumping around in my head at work all day. It's a tad ridiculous, okay, a lot ridiculous, but I wanted to explore it. It's a crossover, but I kind of don't want to give away which crossover just yet. I kind of want to explore and practice writing things I'm not used to and I'm definite;y not used to writing dark characters and plots. So Bucky will be a challenge for me. If anyone has advice or suggestions, they are always welcome. This is...I don't want to say light hearted because it won't be like my other Bucky story where it's all just fluff and fun. I do want to take this seriously, but I'm also not too sure about it, I just kind of want to see where this goes. So if you want to stick around for the ride, then yay! :) I'm just now coming back into writing after a 5 year writers block where I was just so burnt out. So I really need to get back into the swing of things. I use fanfiction as just practice and honestly, it helps.

ALSO: If you guess the crossover before it's revealed, please don't spoil it! I'm always up for PM's if you want to talk about it. And if you guess it from just this first chapter, holy heck you're freaking awesome. There are some hints, but I don't think they're too obvious unless you already know...If you want to take a guess, be my guest! :D

So...here we go.

* * *

The room was quiet and filled with tension. Bucky Barnes stood with his arms folded across his chest and his jaw locked. A smaller man stood next to him, clad in a crisp suit, holding his hands clasped in front of him. He wore a calm expression, but underneath he knew he had to be cautious. Director Phil Coulson took in a deep breath and let it go slowly. Both men looked through a two way mirror into a hospital room in the new Shield headquarters. A young woman was lying in the bed and the only splash of color in the otherwise blue and light blue room was her curly red hair fanned out around the pillow. Her name was unknown, or rather, kept secret. Her new name would be Melanie Williams and she would be under Shield protection until further notice.

Director Coulson glanced over at the former Winter Soldier who was still grimy from the rescue. Bucky's were cold and his arm was whirring just a bit letting Coulson know his fists were clenched and he was not happy.

"I know it's a delicate situation for you, Sergeant Barnes," Coulson said gently. "But we're only following the orders she set for herself."

"Who is she?" Bucky growled.

"Unfortunately, even uttering her real name or her history could compromise us," Coulson answered. "As secure as this headquarters is, I'm afraid it's not secure from advance alien technology hundreds of years ahead of us. I don't even know her full story. I just know she's a very important person to a lot of planets."

Bucky relaxed his shoulders a bit and hung his head. He didn't like this. Not one bit. He, Steve and Thor had been sent on an emergency rescue mission just that morning to rescue this girl from rogue Hydra agents who were dealing with some alien source. Even Thor wasn't sure of exactly who. But they had gone to this cave, and what they found was shocking. It had already been blown up. Everything was destroyed, the hydra agents and everything they had in the hidden base. At the heart of the explosion was this girl. Her clothes were soaked with blood and singed from fire. But she herself was completely unharmed even though they had found her in the interrogation room. Bucky knew what kind of interrogations they did. Even recognized the chair she had been sitting in. She was barely conscious, her skin drained of color, but physically she was perfectly fine. Thor had carefully removed her from the restrains and carried her back to the jet. Explaining what happened when they arrived back at headquarters was interesting.

"I promise you'll know everything once everything's in the clear," Coulson continued. "For now though, she's our responsibility and ours to keep safe. She'll be in good hands." He smiled up at Bucky before exiting the room, closing the door softly behind him.

Bucky turned his gaze back on the woman. The only movement in the room besides her vitals was the faint rise and fall of her chest as she slept. He was angry at her. He didn't know her, and yet he was so angry at her he could punch through the glass and still not feel any better. It was explained that she had taken her own memories to keep Hydra and whoever the hell those alien bastards were from gaining information. Her memories were hidden somewhere outside her head in some sort of trinket or something, Bucky didn't know what. And it pissed him off. He couldn't form words in his own head to try and reason why someone would take their own mind and put another in, or even how the hell it was even possible.

He snuffed. Alien technology. Dumb. If it could rip out your memories and store them externally he wanted nothing to do with it. He was almost started when the door opened again. Thor stepped in, his presence a little less intimidating without his cape and hammer.

"My friend," he said quietly, coming to stand next to Bucky, who nodded in response. Thor's gaze fell on the woman in the hospital room through the glass, and Bucky swore he saw what looked like heartbreak fall across his face. "We grew up together for a time," the Asgardian said softly, leaning on the ledge of the glass. His forehead was barely an inch from the glass. "Her mother studied ancient architecture and Asgard was one of her favorite planets."

Bucky listened intently and waited patiently as Thor paused. "She had fallen in love with our libraries and over time our mothers grew close, as did we. Se-Melanie, was-is, a sister to me. To have heard she was stolen and to find the wreckage…" Thor hung his head. "I am glad she is well, but the circumstances are dire." He turned to look at Bucky. "Can I ask a favor, James?"

Bucky never knew the reasoning why Thor never called him Bucky and he never intended to ask. He nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Can you look after Melanie? Keep her safe? I fear I cannot be her protector anymore. Our relationship is known and we cannot be seen together if we are to keep her secret."

Bucky stared at him, his mind buzzing. There was no way in hell he wanted to do this. Wanted to watch out and be responsible for someone like her. But that damn look in Thor's eyes reminded him of another blonde hair blue eyed son of a gun who could guilt trip him into anything.

Bucky shook his head. "I don't think I'm the right guy for this job." Thor clapped a hand on his metal shoulder.

"There is no one better," said Thor.

"What about Steve? Or even Sharon? She's real sweet."

Thor gave him a grin. "And interrupt their honeymoon?" If Bucky was in a better mood he'd have some jokes to say. He took a long moment and turned his gaze back to the young woman. Melanie.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Be her friend."

* * *

I also don't have a beta, s bear with me if I don't catch all the typos.


	2. Chapter 2

Whew! Normally I don't update so quickly, but like I said, this plot bunny has been jumping around in my head and wont' leave me alone. Let me know what you think so far. :) 

* * *

The bright light gave her a bit of a headache and caused her eyes to water as she fluttered them open. She moaned a bit and rolled her head to the side, away from the bright window. Her head was pounding and her whole body sore and heavy. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She took I her surroundings and recognized a hospital room. There was no roommate, just a bedside table with some flowers and a couple of chairs. She pulled the white sheets down from her neck and searched for the bed remote. She found it stuffed in between the railing and flinched when she pulled a bit on her IV. She pushed the button to make the bed rise and she scooted to sit up a bit.

She couldn't remember, but she must have been in a car accident or something. The last thing she remembered was getting into her car to run some errands…she thought. Everything in her mind was fuzzy. She was just about to push the button to call the nurse when one walked in. She was a tall woman with brown hair and wearing pink scrubs. She rolled the cart with the computer over next to the bed.

"Hello, Melanie," she said softly. "I'm Claire. It's good to see you finally awake. I'm just going to check your vitals and your temperature. Open."

She did as the nurse instructed and Claire stuck the thermometer in her mouth. It beeped a few seconds later. "Temperatures good. Arm."

Her blood pressure was checked as was her pulse. "What…what happened?" Her voice was hoarse and her throat was dry.

Claire gave her a sympathetic smile. "You were in an accident. Hit your head pretty hard. Luckily, you didn't sustain any other injuries. Just some minor bumps and bruises. You actually have a visitor, but I told him he had to wait after I checked on you. Would you like some water?"

Melanie…yeah, that sounded about right, nodded her head and Claire produced a pitcher and a small cup from a cupboard on the cart. She stuck a straw in it and handed it to her patient. The cold water felt good running down her throat.

"Are you okay to see him?"

"Him?"

"He said his name was James," Claire explained typing some stuff into the computer. "He seemed pretty anxious."

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I can see him." Melanie pushed herself into a more comfortable seating position and arched her back a bit. James…James…wasn't ringing any bells.

Claire smiled at her and told her the doctor would be in to see her soon. About a minute after Claire left, a knock sounded on her door and a man stepped in. He wore a long sleeve shirt and he carried a small bouquet of flowers. His hair was styled to look like he just haphazardly ran his hand through it, (although he just might have). He sent her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. Melanie was more curious than nervous, although his presence was a bit intimidating, but she couldn't figure why. She tried to smile back at him as he crossed the room.

"Hi," he said setting the flowers in the vase on the nightstand. "You uh…probably don't remember me." He sat in the chair next to her bed, but she was grateful when he didn't push it too close.

Melanie shook her head. "I'm sorry. Should I?"

"No," he said quietly. "We only met once. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Melanie relaxed a bit. "That's sweet. Thank you. And for the flowers. Um…my nurse said you were James?"

"Yeah, I'm James," he said. "We uh…we met right before the drunk driver hit you."

Melanie's eyes widened. "What?"

James leaned towards her. "You had just gotten into your car and some asshole slammed into the side of you. Knocked your head pretty hard. The doctor said your memory might be affected."

Melanie let out a sigh. "I uh…everything's fuzzy. My nurse called me Melanie. Melanie…Williams, right?"

James nodded. "Yeah, you're Melanie. Do you remember anything else?"

Melanie closed her eyes. "Uh…I'm 27, I graduated from Penn State with a degree in…Psychology? I'm from Pittsburgh, PA…and…" Melanie paused. She looked up at James. "I think I work for…" He held up a hand and Melanie just now noticed it was gloved.

"You have a government job," he said.

Melanie studied him for a minute. He was very handsome, a strong jaw, light eyes that could make you melt, and she could see muscles underneath the fabric of his shirt.

"How did we meet?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay," James said quietly. "I uh…accidentally bumped into you. We work at the same uh…government branch though. We talked for a bit outside. Before you had to leave and that asshole came around. I'm glad you're okay, by the way."

"Thanks," Melanie whispered. She ran a hand over her hair. It really needed washing. "Um…we weren't um…were we about to go on a date or something?"

James cheeks flushed just a bit and a shadow crossed over his face. "No, nothing like that. Like I said, we had just met right before your accident. I just wanted to make sure you're okay. And what girl doesn't like flowers?"

Another knock sounded and the doctor walked in. He was bald and his glasses were stylish.

"Good to see you awake, Ms Williams." He said, standing at the edge of her bed. "Mr. Barnes."

"Doc," James nodded at him. He pulled a small piece of paper out of his pocket as he stood from the chair. "Melanie, this is my number. If you need anything, let me know."

James left the room to let Doctor Ranalli do his work. Just down the hall he was met with Director Coulson and Sharon Carter. Coulson was as always, wearing one of his suits, but Sharon wore a simple blue t shirt and a pair of jeans. Her hair was pulled back and she had her hands on her hips as she spoke to Coulson.

"Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon?" Bucky asked the newlywed.

"We're taking a later flight," she explained. "I wanted to see my best friend before I left. Make sure she's okay…"

She sent Coulson a look and Bucky rolled his eyes. "I thought she wasn't in on this?"

Coulson turned his gaze to Bucky. "The best way to keep her safe is to keep her as close as possible. She'll have a job with us, one that she'll have had for a few years, on Agent Carter's recommendation. She's pretty good at reading people. She'll work in HR. Screen all the new applicants. She and Sharon will have been good friends for a while."

Bucky glared at Coulson, but softened his stare as he glanced over at Sharon. "I'm sorry about this, you shouldn't have-"

Sharon held up a hand. "Don't' worry about it. I've worked with witness protection before. It's you I'm worried about. If you need us, please call."

Bucky pulled a face. "And chance interrupting you guys? No thanks."

Sharon smiled and laid a hand on his arm. "We'll only be gone a week. Until then, play nice?"

Bucky smirked at her. "No promises."

Sharon's smile grew and she kissed his cheek before nodding to Coulson and making her way to Melanie's room.

"Best friend, huh?" Bucky said quietly to Coulson as they made their way to the elevators. "How are you going to explain why she's not in the wedding pictures?"

Coulson sent him a smile. "Oh, we've already taken care of that. We have some pretty good graphic artists."

Bucky sighed and pushed the down button a little too hard.

"The flowers were a nice touch by the way," Coulson said as the elevator doors closed them in. "I think you two will get along swell."

"I still don't like this," Bucky grumbled.

"I know," said Coulson. "But I appreciate you doing this. So does Thor. If you truly start to get uncomfortable, we can switch primary protection over to Steve and Sharon."

Bucky shook his head. "Just as long as I get some answers eventually, I'll be all right."

Coulson nodded. "Good. Her favorite candy is chocolate by the way."


	3. Chapter 3

It's going a bit slow here at the beginning. I'm still working on not being so dialogue heavy, but it didn't come out too well. Anyways, hope you're enjoying it. :)

* * *

Melanie was free to leave the hospital the next day. She didn't have any clothes, as the ones she had been wearing when she was brought in had to be disposed. Claire, her RN, was nice enough to bring in a pair of yoga pants and a t shirt for her to wear home. She was also extremely glad her room had a full shower. Melanie was still feeling hazy, as the doctor explained she might. He also suggested seeing a therapist to help with the partial memory loss. She might take him up on that. Losing her memory was making her extremely anxious. Was she an anxious person normally? She hoped not. Claire has suggested keeping a journal, to write down her thoughts and how she was feeling, to not let it all get bottled up. She had thought she already had one somewhere, but wasn't sure. Writing sounded like something she liked to do.

Melanie was just signing her release forms when James walked up to the nurse's station. The first thing she noticed was the cologne he was wearing. She could smell it as he approached. The scent was vaguely familiar...or maybe it wasn't. It smelled like...it should have another scent mixed in somewhere. Maybe like leather or something. Or...steel? No.

"Hey," he said as she handed the paper back to Claire. "How are you feeling?"

"All right," she answered. "A little lethargic, but I'm okay. What are you doing here?"

"Escorting you home," he answered. "Coulson, our boss, asked me to. If that's all right with you. I'd like to see you get home safe."

Melanie eyed him for a minute. He was still wearing a long sleeve shirt and one glove, even though she knew it must have been pretty warm outside, being July an all. "Are you going to answer my questions?"

"Depends on your questions," James sent her a smirk. "But yeah, I'll answer what I can. Coulson wants to see you tomorrow morning, if you're up for it, at the office."

"One condition," Melanie said quietly. "You either take me, or tell me how to get there. I don't remember much about where I work at all."

James' smirk turned into a soft smile. "I'll take you. I uh…had an accident in the past and lost my memories. So I understand. Don't get too stressed about it. You have a lot of people that care about you it seems."

Melanie returned his smile. "Thank you. James?"

James nodded. "Yeah, James. Come on. If you let me, I'll buy you lunch. Hospital food isn't the best. No offense." He shot a smile to the nurse behind the counter. She blushed and turned back to her computer.

Melanie followed James down to the lobby and into the parking lot. It was an overcast day and a little humid and she wondered how he wasn't hot in his thick jeans and long shirt. She didn't ask though, thinking it may be an injury or some weird skin thing he didn't want people seeing. He was being really nice and she didn't want to push him away. Sharon, her best friend, or at least she was told, was leaving on her honeymoon that morning she James was all she had for right now. Until she was re acquainted with other people she knew, at least. She had looked through her cell phone that morning, but none of the names really rang a bell. She did notice that she didn't have a Mom or Dad listed and was afraid to ask why. There would be no positive answer following.

James led her to a black car with slightly tinted windows and opened the passenger door for her. She thanked him as she slid in.

"So," she said once he closed his door and turned the car on. "You said we work for the government."

James nodded and carefully backed out of the parking space.

"Since you were pretty vague in the hospital, I'm guessing we're not supposed to talk about it?"

James took a breath in as they made their way out of the parking lot and into the city. "Yes and no. Does the name Shield ring a bell?"

Melanie blinked at him. "I mean…I know what a shield is..."

James chuckled and Melanie found herself liking that sound. "No, Shield is a government agency. It was founded in the 40's after the war and was…well…it hit a rough patch a couple of years ago, but is currently re building. Director Coulson will be able to explain that better. We're trying to stay more underground than we were before."

"So…kind of like, CIA, FBI type stuff?"

James nodded. "Pretty much. You worked in HR, screening new agents, doing background checks, things like that."

Melanie nodded. Desk job. Didn't sound too bad. She took in a deep breath. The more she let her mind wander, the bigger her headache grew. She tried to keep herself focused on one topic at a time. "So…what do you do?"

James was silent for a moment. "Field agent."

"So…super secret spy stuff?"

James glanced over at her. "What if I say yes?"

Melanie's eyes widened. "I was mostly joking. Are you serious? Are we really spies? Like, in the movies?"

James laughed. "You are not a spy," he said as he turned onto Melanie's street. "You have a cushy desk job."

"But…what do we do, exactly? Do we protect the president with the secret service? What?"

James pulled into her apartment building's parking lot, which coincidentally happened to be the same one as Steve, Sharon and Bucky. James had his own apartment, after having shared with Steve for a while, but once he and Sharon got engaged, he moved out so Sharon could move in. he was glad to. It was nice to have a space of his own.

"Like I said," he said as he turned the car off. "Director Coulson will be able to answer those questions better. Basically, Shield protects everyone. Or tries to at least. We're the guys who protect the secret service, so they can protect the president."

"Wow," Melanie breathed. She leaned back in the seat and took in a breath.

"You okay?" James asked gently. She nodded her head.

"Yeah, I will be. It's just..a lot to take in. I…kind of remember working in an office. I think I have a big, dark wooden desk? And for some reason I'm picturing a figurine of The Wizard of Oz on it? It's…Dorothy and Glinda I think?"

James relaxed. "I don't know about that, I've never been in your office. But you must like the movie if you're remembering something about it."

"I think I do," Melanie whispered. She looked out the tinted window. "This looks a little familiar."

"That's good."

She and James exited his car at the same time. She fished around in her purse looking for a key. She pulled out a lanyard with a few keys on it. There was a car key and she hoped one of the others was an apartment key. She looked over at James who was watching her intently.

"I don't remember what…" She trailed off as James stepped closer.

"It's okay," he said. "Coulson told me just in case. You're on the 5th floor, in 513. Do you want me to walk you up?"

Melanie let out a breath of relief. "Please? I uh…I don't know why, but I feel nervous…anxious."

James carefully laid his ungloved hand on her shoulder. "It's normal. I can stay for a bit if you like. I'll order some take out? I uh…sometimes when I had bad days, having Steve, my buddy, around, helped calm my nerves. But I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Melanie stared at him, as if she was trying to figure him out. The more she stared, the more uncomfortable James began to feel.

"Company would be nice," she said quietly before turning on her heel and making her way to the doors. James let out a breath and followed her. Barely through the doors, his cell phone dinged.

Pulling it out he read: _Nice one, Barnes. I thought you'd choke for sure. Keep up the good work. She's kind of cute, don't you think? _

James rolled his eyes and stuffed his phone back in his pocket. Once Steve and Sharon had finally worked out, Natasha had moved her match making obsession onto him. There was no way in hell he was going to let anything come of this assignment. Whether Natasha was serious about it or not, he wouldn't give into her jokes for this one. Coulson better give him a damn raise.


	4. Chapter 4

The first thing Melanie noticed when she walked into what James told her was her apartment was how neat and tidy everything was. It was a spacious one bedroom with a feminine touch to it despite that the most prominent color was blue. It felt familiar as Melanie stepped inside with James behind her. She took in the sight of the living room with the dark blue couch facing the flat screen television, the pictures on the walls, the small kitchen that was connected to the dining room and the hallway leading to the bedroom and the bathroom. The carpet was an off white, almost beige color and looked recently swept. Melanie took in a deep breath.

"It feels comfortable," she said.

James sent her a smile. "That's good."

She turned to him. "I have to ask," she said with more confidence in her voice. "I'm your assignment, right?"

James blinked. "Well...I wouldn't put it like that-"

"No." Melanie dropped her purse on the small stand next to the door. She wasn't stupid, that she knew. She had had a lot of time to think in the hospital between Sharon's visit and James bringing her home. She hadn't been able to sleep, so thinking was all she did. Why anyone else hadn't visited her, or called or even asked bugged her. Why was she so alone? And why did her boss ask someone to watch over her? Wasn't there therapists who helped with amnesia patients? Why did she have to have a full time carer? "We only met in passing once and yet you're the one visiting me and taking me home. I'm not offended. I just want to know why. And I also want to know why someone had to be assigned to do it."

James stared at her for a second and she really wondered what was going through his mind. "Would you mind if we sat down?"

Once they were settled on the couch, Melanie fixed her hard stare on James again, waiting.

"All right," he said. "I'm going to be honest with you. I'll probably get my ass kicked, but what the hell. I don't know much about you, and honestly, I wasn't too happy when they asked me to watch over you. I told you I had a past with memory loss, but it wasn't from an accident. Do you remember anything about Captain America?"

Melanie was taken back for a second. "Well...yeah, I think so. Super soldier, fought in world war two, was someone kept alive in ice, woke up in...what, 2011 or something? Now he's fighting bad guys in the 21st century."

James nodded. "Do you know anything about the Howling Commandos?"

Melanie shrugged. "They were his team in the war. Everyone, especially in DC, knows who they are."

James stared at her as if he was waiting for something to click. She had no idea what he was trying to do, so she just raised an eyebrow. He sighed and pulled out his cell phone. He poked at it for a few seconds before handing it to her. On it was an old black and white picture of Captain America standing beside Bucky Barnes. "And your point-" Melanie stopped herself. She looked back up at James, and then back down to the phone. And then back up at James. Her heart began to race and her stomach fell.

"James is Bucky Barnes's real name..." she whispered. James nodded. "But Bucky Barnes is dead."

"Well, the old me is anyway," James said quietly. "I was frozen too. Hydra had experimented on me when they took the 107th. What they did helped me to survive my fall off the train. They found me, and continued their work. They turned me into a weapon, their greatest assassin. They took away my memories and put me on ice when they didn't need me. t's why I haven't really aged. A couple of years ago, Hydra was exploited from within Shield. Steve helped take them down and uh...woke me up, you could say."

Melanie hadn't realized her jaw had dropped open during his reveal. She only noticed when she took in a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Oh my god, I am so sorry." Her voice shook and she felt like crying.

James gave her a hard look for a second before his features softened. "It's not your fault. To answer your question, I think this is supposed to help me as much as it is to help you. Which...I kind of don't agree with them using you like that."

Melanie was silent for a while, she looked down at his phone, which still showed the old picture of him and Steve. He looked exactly the same, except his hair cut was more modern. But his eyes were different. They were shining in the picture, they were eyes of a man who didn't have pain behind them. "You...there was...Project Inside? No. In_sight_. You were...I think I remember. Oh my god." A tear fell from her eye and she almost jumped at the contact of his hand on her elbow.

"Hey," he said quietly. "None of that was your fault. I'm sorry, I didn't tell you all that to make you feel bad."

Melanie tried to smile at him. She took his hand in his and he was taken aback. "I know, but no one should have to go through anything like that."

James gave her a hard look for a moment but took in a deep breath and recovered himself. He gave her hand a slight squeeze before letting go. "How about we order some lunch and uh...talk about something else? Like, you got a nice movie collection here. Let's see if any job your memory."

Melanie agreed and they ordered Chinese from the local take out. They talked, the usually getting to know a person kind of talk. Melanie found herself becoming a bit more relaxed and comfortable. The more she spoke with Bucky and poked around her apartment, the more some things came back to her. Like, her love for Wizard of Oz. She had a china cabinet full of collectible figurines. Bucky told her when he took Steve to see the movie when it first premiered. It was around 5pm when Bucky decided he should get going. He left her with his phone number and said he'd see her at the office in the morning. Melanie thanked him for lunch and once he left, decided to poke around her room to see if she found any photo albums or the like.

Bucky didn't tell her that her apartment was in the same building as her. He didn't want to freak her out too much. And frankly, he wasn't too comfortable with it. So far she was a sweet girl, but it didn't make him like this assignment any more. And he wasn't shocked when he found Romanoff sitting at his kitchen table when he walked into his place. She had her feet up on one of the chairs and was smirking at him.

He tossed his keys on his counter. "Did I pass?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow.

"Are my acting skills up to quality?" Bucky slid into the chair across from her and she slid a beer to him.

"I'd say you're doing pretty good so far," she answered. "Just be careful. Your emotions play across your face sometimes. Don't make her nervous. But I think you have high hopes of making it work for her."

Bucky took a sip of his drink before commenting. "I don't think eventually dating her is what Thor had in mind, Nat. Did anyone ask if he was okay with that?"

Natasha pulled her legs down from the chair and leaned on the table. "Thor went back to Asgard for a while. We're on our own with this until he gets back. He has to lay low. Sharon and I will be around for the times you aren't. We're all B.F.F's after all."

"So that's a no." Bucky shook his head. "He's going to murder me, you know that right?"

Natasha chuckled. "Nah, he likes you. Besides, he said this shouldn't last too long; that whoever is looking for her will just keep finding cold trails and be long gone from our galaxy for us to be worried about them."

Bucky took another long pull from his beer. Aliens, galaxies, space...he remembered a time when earth's biggest threat was the flu. Not advanced aliens from outer space.


	5. Chapter 5

I hope you guys are enjoying this so far. Updating will be a bit slow as it's taking me a few days to work on each chapter. I'm trying really hard not to make this too over the top. The idea is completely over the top, but too much of a good thing is never any good. :P Let me know what you guys think. (Also, with her job...I don't know much about background screening processes, so just go with me here. I didn't want to make her a field agent, but I needed her to be in Shield somewhere where they could keep an eye on her pretty much all day. So, it worked.)

* * *

To say that Melanie was nervous was an understatement. She didn't know why. James had told her she had been working with Shield for a little over a year now, but she couldn't help but feel her hands get sweaty and her heart start to race as they stood outside Director Coulson's door.

James-Bucky, folded his arms across his chest. He wore a training uniform, a black athletic shirt with Shield's logo across the back and tactical pants with his boots.

"You going to be okay?" He asked. Melanie nodded and brought her hand up to ring the buzzer on the door. Coulson's office was extremely different than Fury's. Coulson preferred a more classic look with less windows. The latch on the lock clicked and the door opened slightly, letting them know they were free to enter. Melanie looked back at Bucky who gave her a slight sad smile.

"You're on your own, kid," he teased. "I have training to start. You'll be fine. Coulson doesn't bite."

He gave her a supportive nod before disappearing around the corner. Melanie took in a deep breath before letting herself into the office. It was bright inside, the sunlight coming in from the large window behind Director Coulson's desk. He looked up when she entered and he gestured for her to take a seat in front of his desk.

"Good morning, Miss Williams," he said with a kind smile. "It's good to see you back. How are you feeling?"

"I'm all right," she answered. "The doctor said I might get some frequent headaches, but I'm okay."

Coulson's smile widened. "That's good to hear. Do you remember much?"

Melanie shrugged. "Bits and pieces. Um, it's like I know the facts, but I have trouble picturing them."

Coulson looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, like, I know I went to Penn State, but I don't remember actually being there," she explained, lacing her fingers together. "I can't picture the campus or anything."

Coulson nodded. "It's understandable. The mind is a tricky thing. I asked Sergeant Barnes to get to know you as he has experience with memory loss. Same with Agent Romanoff, but also because of another reason." He pushed a manila envelope towards her. She took it and opened it. There wasn't much in there except a few pictures.

"Am I supposed to know who they are?" she asked carefully, looking up at her boss.

"I don't expect you to," he answered, standing up and coming around the desk. He sat himself on the corner and folded his hands in his lap. "Miss Williams, the car that hit you wasn't an accident. It was Hydra. We found some information on you in their database and we're trying to find out why. Which is why I assigned some of my best agents to hang around you. I don't want you to be scared, but I wanted to make you aware. We're not sure why they targeted you, but we're going to find out."

Melanie gulped and looked back at the folder. The two pictures were of men she didn't recognize and one was of her. And she had no idea how to read the scribbles or the old type writer notes. It looked German. She wasn't sure. She could feel her hands start to shake. Don't be scared? Hydra was after her, how could she not be? She took a deep breath and closed the file.

"What's in here?" She asked handing it back to Coulson.

"We're not sure," he answered, tucking it under his arm. "But we're going to find out. Agent Price has been filling in while you've been away, and he'll be able to get you back into the swing of things. And please try not to go anywhere alone much. Between Sharon, Barnes and Romanoff, I'd like at least one of them with you should you leave your apartment. Just for a while until things settle.'

"Do you...have any ideas what they might think I have? Or know or..."

Coulson took in a deep breath and was silent for a moment. "It could be anything. You're a Shield agent. My guess is they targeted you to try and get someone passed our security. We put you in the position of background screenings and lie detector tests because you're damn good at reading people. We held off all interviews until you're back on your game. But whatever they think you have, they won't be getting it. When Captain Rogers and his team took down the Hellicarrier they knocked out most of Hydra's big dogs. And we've been keeping them from growing. You're in good hands, Miss Williams. And we'll get to the bottom of this."

Melanie's head was still reeling by the time Agent Price led her back to her office. He seemed nice enough, a bit stuffy, but she got the hang of things pretty quickly. She felt comfortable in front of a computer and it wasn't long until her muscle memory started to come back to her. Her desk was very well organized, and she had everything labeled and tucked neatly away. She had a few decorations around her desk, a fake little plant that let out a very feint hint of air freshener, a small fairy statue and a beautiful Wizard of Oz music box. It was missing the key to wind it up, however, but Melanie hoped it would play Somewhere Over the Rainbow of she ever found it. She popped that movie in last night, and came to the realization that it was her favorite.

Melanie punched a code into the computer and just couldn't shake the feeling of fear piling up in her stomach. She minimized the screening of a new agent, and began to search about Hydra. She knew who they were, but she needed to know more. What did they want with her? Why target a nameless agent? She hadn't even been working for Shield when Hydra was exposed. She started on to the new found Shield under Director Phil Coulson. And what did the notes say? She moved her search onto hieroglyphics, seeing if anything familiar popped up. After a while of coming up with nothing, she slumped back into her seat and let out a heavy sigh.

"Exhausting day?" Came a smooth voice. Melanie looked up to see Natasha Romanoff leaning in her doorway. Melanie blinked her eyes adjusting to being away from a computer screen.

"A little," She mumbled.

Natasha frowned and entered into the office. "You all right?"

Melanie folded her arms across her chest. "Are-are we friends at all? That sounded rude, I'm sorry."

Natasha slipped into the chair in front of Melanie's desk. "Not rude. And more like acquaintances. I don't do friends much. Something bothering you?"

"Is it wrong to be completely terrified?" Melanie asked in a small voice.

"Completely terrified that a monstrous and powerful organization is out looking for you? No."

Melanie sighed and turned off her computer. She gathered her things and let Agent Romanoff escort her out and passed Bucky in the hallway. He nodded at them and Melanie sent him a small smile. He watched as they disappeared around the corner before making a beeline to Coulson's office. When he entered he found Thor, Coulson, and A woman with dark hair who was almost as big as Thor. She sent him a look and he felt like taking a step back.

"Agent Barnes," Coulson greeted. "I don't believe you've met Lady Sif of Asgard. Lady Sif. Sergeant James Barnes."

"Ma'am," he said as she gave a small bow in acknowledgement.

"We've already briefed Agent Romanoff," Coulson explained coming around his desk and handing Bucky a tablet. "But Thor and Lady Sif were able to give us some information on Ms. Williams without it being compromised. I only ask that you don't say her name out loud. If you do, it can alert the system and give them a location on the person who said it. Don't ask me to explain it because I don't really understand it myself."

Bucky creased his eyebrows and shook his head as he looked down at the screen in his hands.

* * *

"So tell me," Agent Romanoff asked Melanie as she drove the woman back to her apartment. "What were you and Barnes talking about the day of your accident? Was he asking you on a date?"

Melanie blushed and her cheeks flushed almost as red as her hair. "I don't think so. I don't really remember much from that day. I still don't remember much from any day. Just big stuff. No little details or anything."

Natasha let out a low "hmmm" and pulled into the parking lot. "You should ask him."

"Excuse me?"

Natasha smirked. "Barnes hasn't been on a date since he came back. It'd be good for him. And you. You seem like you work too much. Go out and have some fun. Barnes is a great dancer. There's a nice-"

"I don't think it's a good idea to start dating one of the agents assigned to babysit me."

"Not a big deal. Besides. If you two hit it off, he can keep a real good eye on you."

Melanie blushed even harder causing Natasha to grin. Dating was the very last thing on her min at the moment. Not that she hadn't thought about Bucky the past couple of days. He was very good looking. And extremely ripped and-no. No. She shouldn't be thinking like that. "I don't think so. Let me work on my memory first, and then we'll talk about dating."

"Whatever you say," the agent mumbled. The two women headed up to Melanie's apartment, with Natasha keeping an eye on the surroundings.

* * *

Bucky wasn't one to gape open mouthed, but after seeing what he just did, he couldn't help himself.

"Now you understand," Thor said quietly sitting down next to him on the small couch. "It is important we keep her safe. Not just for me, but for the entire human race. If they find her, they'll be able to use her DNA to replicate the serum you and Steve share. And to have the knowledge she has of of the universe, the human race wouldn't stand a chance."

Bucky closed his mouth and swallowed, handing the tablet back to Coulson. He ran his hands through his and leaned back. "Why isn't she on Asgard with you?"

"Asgard is being watched along with Midgard," Lady Sif answered. "If we leave the planet with her, they'll know immediately. We sent a fake signal out to the Andromeda Galaxy for the time being. It shall buy us some time."

"Do we know who's looking for her besides Hydra?" Bucky asked.

"I have a guess," Thor muttered darkly. "And I hope I'm wrong." 

* * *

Thoughts are always appreciated. I don't want her to be a Mary Sue but his story is just for shiggles and practice. So, there you go. Any guesses as to what the crossover might be? I'll probably drop a HUGE hint in the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

The next few weeks passed by without any hiccups. Melanie was settling into a routine and with Sharon back, she felt a little more at ease. Her memories were still hazy, but she was getting more comfortable with her surroundings as the days passed. She hadn't seen much more of Agent Romanoff, and spent more time with Bucky than Sharon. Sharon was enjoying being a newlywed to Steve and Melanie was happy for them. She saw the way Sharon's eyes lit up when Steve was the topic of conversation. Melanie vaguely remembered a man named Jack from her past, but she couldn't recall details. Her memories were like dreams, you remember them, but the more you try to remember, the further away they seem.

She was getting a little frustrated at having to be escorted back and forth to work, and this morning she had been thinking of bringing that up to Coulson. Her building was crawling with other Shield Agents, and surely they were crawling about the city. Did she need a personal body guard every morning and afternoon? Not to mention between Sharon and Bucky she was rarely ever alone. Not that she minded much with Bucky, although she wouldn't admit that. He was very charming, and whatever cologne he wore smelled wonderful and whenever he brushed past her or came up behind her or smiled at her heart would flutter. But she had to stop that. He was her bodyguard and nothing would ever come of it. She felt like a teenager with a crush on the quarterback. She was almost 30 years old! Time to start acting like it.

A knock sounded on her office door and Sharon walked in. Melanie checked the time, and she still had at least an hour before her day ended. Sharon took a seat and smirked at Melanie.

"Should I be afraid?" Melanie asked grabbing the paper her printer just spat out.

"What do you say to drinks tonight?" The blonde woman asked. "Hill, Romanoff and I are heading out to Cedar's if you want to join us."

Melanie thought about it for a second. She could really use a drink, but it would be more time with agents assigned to her. She could really use a night alone, but a drink was sounding better by the second.

"I think a girls night out is exactly what I need," Melanie answered, sending Sharon a smile. "With lots of drinks."

Sharon laughed. "Don't overdo it. I'm not holding your hair over the toilet."

"Hey, I can hold my alcohol," Melanie retorted. Then she paused. "I think. Can I?"

Sharon grinned at her. "You'll be fine. I'll be by at 8." Sharon rose and began to leave the office when Melanie called out.

"Who's holding my hand home tonight?"

Sharon gave her a look. "Don't be like that. We just want to make sure you're safe."

Melanie sent her an apologetic look. "I know. I'm sorry."

Sharon shrugged. "It's all right. I understand. And Bucky's taking you home." Sharon disappeared out the door, leaving Melanie alone in her office. It had been a few days since she had seen him and she tried to contain her excitement. She began to straighten her blouse, and even checked her hair before she realized what she was doing. She groaned and let her head fall on her desk. Damn Natasha for bringing it up and damn her teenage feelings.

"You keep banging your head like that, you'll look like a unicorn in no time."

Melanie shot up, wide eyed to a smirking Bucky. She cleared her throat and pushed a layer of curls out of her face. "You're early," she said, swiveling around on her chair to grab a folder off the other side of her corner desk.

"It's Friday," Bucky answered. "I want to get out of here. You all set?"

Melanie shifted around some paperwork, left a note for herself and shut down her computer. "Now I am."

"Bucky looked relieved. "Good. I'm getting antsy being cooped up. You got plans tonight?"

Melanie raised an eyebrow at him as they left her office. "Sharon didn't tell you? I thought you guys had the schedules down."

Bucky was confused.

"I'm going out for drinks with her, Hill and Romanoff," Melanie explained. "Must have been a last minute decision."

"Apparently," Bucky muttered. "What time are you heading out?"

"Eight, I guess." She and Bucky made their way through the atrium and Melanie noticed that a few of the other agents walking about made sure not to get in their way. She cast a curious look Bucky who just shrugged.

"How about I cook you something before you head out?" Bucky asked as they excited through the door. "You'll need something in your stomach before you have alcohol with Natasha."

Melanie shot him faux offended look. "Are you saying I can't handle myself on girl's night?"

Bucky snorted. "I'm saying you haven't been drinking with Natasha. You know she's Russian, right?"

Melanie rolled her eyes as she rounded Bucky's car to the passenger side. "I have no plans on out drinking Natasha Romanoff. And since when do you cook?"

The doors closed almost simultaneously, and Bucky revved the engine to life. "Since only when I feel like it."

"Well, if you're cooking, I'm not going to say no," Melanie muttered. "I hate it."

Bucky chuckled. "Don't get too excited. I never said I was any good."

"You'll be better than me," said Melanie. "I made pasta the other night and forgot about it and it was one giant ball of goo. It was so gross."

"You messed up pasta?" Bucky looked baffled. "How do you mess up pasta?"

"I told you I forgot!" Melanie gave him a playful swat on the arm, then immediately regretted it as her fingers came into contact with his metal bicep.

Bucky shook his head but couldn't help the smile that spread to his lips.

"You don't have to stay, you know," Melanie called from her bedroom a couple of hours later. "Sharon will be here soon."

There was silence before the sound of his footsteps sounded. "I'm all right. Why, you kicking me out?" Bucky answered from just behind the door.

Melanie sighed and pulled the dark purple dress over her head. "I don't think I'm allowed to kick you out, but I think I'll be okay for half an hour. I even managed a whole three hours before bed time last night by myself."

"You're a real comedian," came the dry response. "It's like you don't like us or something."

Melanie pulled open her door and was about to say something when Bucky's expression caught her off guard. His eyes went wide for a quick second and they traveled down her body before quickly coming back to her face. She sent him a smirk and he glared at her.

"Take a taser with you," he grumbled before turning on his heel and heading back down the hallway.

"What?" Melanie followed him, her footsteps quick to catch up.

"You're going to a bar right?" Bucky said.

Melanie slowly nodded her head and Bucky shrugged. "Men are assholes."

Melanie looked down at her dress. It was form fitting, and short, and a deep purple that complimented her skin tone. "I'm not sure whether to be offended or flattered."

Bucky sighed and came to stand on front of her. His eyes softening. "I'm sorry. You look nice."

Melanie folded her arms across her chest. "Nice?"

"Now you're playing with me," Bucky gave her a playful glare. "You look beautiful. Sexy. Happy?"

Melanie flushed and suddenly felt a little awkward. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Bucky mentally screamed at himself. "I'm uh, I'm going to get going. You said Sharon will be here about eight? All right, I'll see you Monday."

"Monday?" Melanie questioned as he crossed her apartment to her door.

"Yeah, I have an assignment over the weekend," Bucky paused with his hand on the door knob. "Don't miss me too much."

Bucky closed the door behind him and came face to face with a very smug Sharon Carter-Rogers. Her hair was done up and her dress was red. She put her hands on her hips.

"How long have you been there?" he asked her.

"Long enough," she said. "What assignment are you on?"

"Nothing," Bucky growled trying to move past her, but the blonde wouldn't let him.

"Is everything all right?" she asked in a gentler tone.

"I'm fine," Bucky answered and Sharon let him pass. He hurried off to his own apartment and wasted no time in barging into the bathroom to splash cold water on his face. _Get a grip on yourself, Barnes. This isn't real. She isn't real. She isn't Melanie and she isn't a desk job. _He splashed more water, and buried his face in a towel, rubbing his skin dry a little too hard. _She's a fucking alien for Christ's sake. _

Laughter rang out from the table as the four women were sat around a high table in the corner of Cedar's Bar and Grille.

"Sometimes I can't believe Tony Stark is still alive," Sharon said, sipping from her glass.

"Oh believe me, we can't either," Maria and Natasha shared a look. "We'll end up killing him before someone else does. Or Pepper."

The three field agents continued their talk about Tony Stark while Amelia squeezed her eyes shut. A sudden headache burst behind her eyes and she was taking some deep breaths to try and calm the pain. She kept seeing a yellow light in her mind and voices. _Run! I've already lost your mother once, I won't lose you two again! Now do as you're told and run! _

"Mel?" Sharon's worried voice snapped her back to reality. Maria and Natasha were also looking at her worriedly. "You all right?"

The red head nodded and held her forehead in her hand. "Yeah, I'll be okay. Just a headache. I'm going to get some water. Anyone need refills?"

"No," Sharon answered as the other two shook their heads. Melanie slid off the chair and squeezed her way through the crowd to the bar. She accidentally bumped into an older woman with big hair. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Not to worry, sweetie," came the reply in an English accent. Melanie looked up to get a better look at the woman, but she was gone. The young woman shook her head and ordered her water.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Natasha asked as Melanie came back, water bottle in hand.

"Yeah, I get headaches every now and then," she explained. "Aftermath form the accident I guess."

Natasha gave her a cool look before changing the subject. "So, then. You and Barnes. Anything happened yet?"

Melanie choked on her water. "What? No. Nothing is going to happen between me and Bucky. There are at least five reasons as to why that can't happen."

"If dating in the workplace is one of them," said Maria. "It's really not a valid excuse anymore. Exhibit A is right next to you."

Sharon grinned at the second in command and turned back to a flushing Melanie.

"Why are you guys so pushy on this? Bucky and I just met," said Melanie. "Plus, there's that whole, I'm his assignment thing. A little weird and awkward, don't you think?"

Natasha shrugged. "Barnes needs a girl. He's too frustrated."

Melanie sent her a glare, which just earned a smirk from the spy.

"Honestly, Mel," Sharon laid a hand on hers. "I'm sorry if we're pushy. We just think you both could use someone. With Steve and I married now, and he and Bucky on different assignments all the time…I just want to see him happy. I want to see both of you happy. And if you just become good friends, then I'm glad."

"To hell with good friends," Natasha interjected. "She's got the hots for the big bad Winter Soldier. Look at her."

Melanie's face was as red as her hair, and she knew she was caught. "I do not-"

"Liar!" Natasha grinned at her. "You can't lie to me. I bet by this time next week, she and Barnes are shaking it up in her office."

"Hey now," Maria said, holding a hand up to Natasha. "Officially, I have to say, I will not condone that behavior. Unofficially, I say give it three weeks. Has Barnes even looked at a girl since the forties?"

"Yeah, Melanie," Natasha answered.

Now she really was flushing, and trying so very hard to keep a smile off her face. Sharon's face lit up.

"I highly doubt that," Melanie tried to say, but was cut off by catching sight of big curly blonde hair behind Natasha. The spy caught the change and turned around to look behind her.

"What is it?" Her playful demeanor was gone, her face was alert.

Melanie shook her head. "Nothing, I'm sorry, I just thought I saw someone I recognized is all."

Natasha slowly turned back around and nodded, but kept a better eye on the room.

"So…Natasha. What's this about Bucky looking at me?"


	7. Chapter 7

I'm starting to really like where this is going. What about you? :D

* * *

Melanie gave a big yawn as she poured the creamer into her coffee. Her body ached from lack of sleep and she was very grateful it was the weekend. The last week had been awful for her at night. Nightmares and night terrors filled her head and she couldn't have gotten any more than a few hours of sleep the whole week. They had come so suddenly, she didn't remember ever having nightmares such as these before. Filled with monsters and aliens and running. Perhaps she wasn't remembering being a sci-fi fan.

Melanie sipped her still steaming coffee and made her way into the living room. Today was going to be a day for mindless relaxing with Netflix. No work, no bodyguards, just some bad reality TV shows or perhaps some period romance movies. Something mindless that had nothing to do with aliens, or spies, or superheroes.

The sound of hard hits to the punching bag filled the gym over the noise of machines and squeaking shoes. Most of the agents left the former Winter Soldier to himself, however a few worried that the bag would explode any minute with how hard he was hitting. It had been almost two months since he started the assignment of watching over a woman who too her own memories and it still bothered him. He knew who she was, so he sort of understood her rash decision, but it angered him. No one should have their memories taken from them. He hit the punching bag again, his thoughts straying to perhaps there were a few things he could go without remembering. NO. Another hard hit. Never again would anyone take anything from him. BAM. The punching bag flew off its chain, and landed broken a few feet away. Maybe he shouldn't have hit it with his left hand. Everyone in the gym stared at him for a moment, while he caught his breath and picked up the bag with ease. Bucky crossed the gym and tossed it with the others he and Steve had broken. Unraveling the tape around his fingers, he wasn't shocked when Steve came up to him.

"Want to talk about it?" the captain asked quietly.

"No," Bucky grunted, picking up a new bag and replacing it on the chain.

Steve signed and hung his head. "Bottling it up won't help."

Bucky glared at his friend and began hitting the bag. "I'm fine, Steve. Don't worry about it."

Steve came around the bag, holding it steady as Bucky continued the blows. "Look, I know this assignment's hard for you, if you think you can't handle it, you can always ask to be taken off. No shame in that."

"You're not trying some reverse Psychology bullshit on me are you?"

"That never worked on you," Steve said. "I learned my lesson when we were sixteen."

"Damn right you did."

Steve couldn't hold back the grin, but his face turned grim again as Bucky's hits became harder. "Well, if you don't want to talk, at least join me in some sparring. You break another one of these, they're going to make you start replacing them."

Bucky took a big breath and lowered his arms. He wiped sweat from his forehead and put his hands on his hips. "It's not just the memory thing. If you're going to make me talk about this, can it be later?"

Steve followed Bucky's gaze around the room. There was still a good amount of agents in the room, and even though they looked preoccupied, Steve knew they were trained to always be aware of their surroundings. "Yeah, that's fine. Sam was talking about Cedar's tonight. We should join him."

Bucky took the towel Steve offered him and fell into place with the other super soldier to exit the gym. "What's so special about this Cedar's? Everyone keeps talking about it."

"A retired agent opened it up," Steve explained as they pushed through the double glass doors. "It's open to the public, but it's also well-guarded. They have a popular local DJ and he brings in a lot of customers."

Melanie couldn't take it anymore. The mindless rabble from Say Yes to the Dress wasn't doing much for her. All it was doing was pissing her off. And simultaneously making her sad. The mother's arguing and nitpicking on dresses their daughter's loved was frustrating her to all end, but it caused her thoughts to wander to her own parentage. She had been raised in Foster care and lost touch with the couple after she went to college. She couldn't remember their names and couldn't remember what happened to her real parents. She sighed and kicked off the fleece blanket and made a beeline for her room. She pulled open her closet and reached into the back and pulled out a long shoe box. She sat down on the floor and sifted through it. There was old movie tickets, a tassel from Penn State with the year she graduated, old notes, a small book titled "Ella Enchanted" and a few other old, random objects. She picked up each item individually before flipping the box over and letting out a frustrated scream. She had no emotional attachment to any of them. She knew these things happened, but she couldn't remember. Her degree said she graduated with a Masters in Psych but she didn't remember walking across the stage or the feeling of accomplishment, or hell, much of anything she learned. She couldn't recall her childhood, she couldn't even remember being friends with Sharon, her so called best friend of five years. The accident hadn't been that bad. It shouldn't have affected her memory that much. So what was wrong with her?

Bucky knocked on Melanie's door and grew nervous when she didn't answer. She hadn't answered his phone call or text from earlier and he didn't like that.

"Melanie!?" He called. When his call wasn't answered, he pulled her spare key out of his pocket and let himself in. The TV was on, with the Netflix home screen displayed, a half-eaten sandwich rested on a plate on her coffee table, and the fleece blanket was sitting on the floor next to the couch. Bucky scanned the rest of her apartment. Nothing seemed out of place.

"Melanie?" He called again, and when he heard a sniff, he hurried down the hallway. He found her sitting against the wall of her bedroom, eyes bloodshot, and a bunch of things scattered about her. "Hey," he knelt next to her, his heart racing. "Mel?" He took her face in his hands and she looked up at him and his heart almost broke. He knew the look in her eyes.

She didn't talk for a long moment and she pushed his hands away from her face, but she didn't let go. "I have nightmares," she whispered. "Of things I don't know. Monsters. They're grotesque. Some are big and green, others are made of metal. They all look different. And they're all chasing me. I'm always running in my dreams but I can never get away. And there's a man. Telling me to run away. He never says anything else. Just tells me to run." She held up a yellowed piece of paper. "I don't remember this. It's from some guy named Daniel. Like, a high school crush or something. And I don't know anything about it. This movie stub? Was it a date? I don't even remember seeing The Notebook. Nothing in this box makes me feel anything."

She crumpled up the letter and met Bucky's eyes. "How bad was my accident? You said you were there. What happened? Did you try to pull me away?"

Bucky stared at her. He had prepared answers if she asked, but seeing her so broken. It was all too familiar. "Come here," he said, pulling her to him. She clung to him and he could feel her shaking. The scent of her shampoo filled his nostrils as she buried her face into his neck and cried. He held her, rubbing his flesh hand lightly over her back hoping to calm her. His anger about her melted, seeing himself looking back at him through her eyes. He would find out why Hydra wanted her and he would take them down.

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Coulson said to the agents who filed into his office late into the night. "I apologize for the hour, but as I said, this is urgent."

Sharon, Steve and Bucky all shared the same look of exhaustion. Sharon folded her arms into the pocket of the overly large sweatshirt she was wearing as she sat down on Coulson's couch. Even the always sharp director was in jeans and a t-shirt.

"What's going on?" Bucky grumbled, taking a seat next to Sharon and rubbing a hand over his face.

"I received a phone call a couple of hours ago," Coulson explained. "On my personal cell phone from a man with information on Miss Williams."

"Who was it?" Steve asked.

"Who indeed," came a new voice. An older man came sauntering into the office, his hair was streaked grey and white and he wore a blue suit without a tie. He was almost as tall as Steve and he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a small vile that was glowing yellow. "They were after this." He gently placed it down on Coulson's desk. "Her DNA."

Everyone turned to look at him and Bucky and Sharon rose to their feet and everyone Steve, Bucky and Sharon all started asking questions all at once. Steve held up his hands. "All right, hold on. I think our most important question is, who are you?"

"Her father," he answered.


	8. Chapter 8

I left a bit of a cliff hanger, didn't I? :) Than you to everyone reading, following, favoring and reviewing! I love hearing your thoughts. :D

* * *

The silence in the room was deafening. All eyes landed on the older gentleman, but he didn't grow uncomfortable under their stares. Bucky recognized him from the file he read a few weeks ago. However, Steve and Sharon were confused. They hadn't been filled in on Melanie's real backstory.

"It's an honor to meet you, Doctor," Coulson piped up.

The gentleman shook his head. "No, no, don't say that yet," his accent was Scottish. "The honor is mine, standing in the same room as Captain Steven Rogers and Sergeant James Barnes. Gentleman, lady, I'm the Doctor and I owe you my thanks for keeping my daughter safe when I couldn't."

Steve looked at him warily but stepped forward, his gaze turning to Coulson. "I know this was a need to know basis, Director, but I think Sharon and I deserve an explanation. We need to know what and who we're dealing with."

Coulson smiled at him. "You're absolutely right. Doctor?" Coulson handed the older man a tablet and the doctor nodded in thanks. He poked around for a few seconds before handing it over to Steve.

"My daughter, Melanie as you call her," he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Is half human, half time lord. I'm from a planet called Gallifrey, which is what you are seeing. Her mother is from…well...she's human plus Time Lord but that's a story for another time. Anyways, Gallifrey doesn't exist anymore, one of the reason my daughter was targeted. The other reason is because her DNA is mixed. Makes it easier for pure human cells to retain the time lord cells. Melanie, clever girl, camouflaged her Time Lord DNA just in time before anyone from Hydra could take a sample. She rendered herself useless to them. Which in turn, made them very angry as now they cannot replicate a more perfected serum for super soldiers."

"So she's part alien…"Steve said, staring at the screen which was now pulling up a file. The screen changed and it gave a full history of a young woman, from the time of her birth to the present. It was the same file Thor had shown Bucky previously. "Well I'll be damned. She did all of this?"

"When you have all of time and space at your fingertips, Captain, you do quite a lot," the doctor said. "However, rumors grow and of course, plenty of things on her file never actually happened, or have been blown out of proportion, as it happens."

Sharon looked up from the tablet, her eyes wide. She hugged her arms tighter across her chest. "I have a lot of questions," she said. "But I have no idea where to start. I think my first question is, does Hydra know where she is?"

"Probably," said the Doctor. "And if they do, they know they can't get to her easily. My guess, and I'm usually correct in my guesses, is that they're more concerned with finding a way to bring her back to Time Lord. Top try and capture her now would be pointless when they can't use her."

"Maybe this should have been my first question," Sharon mumbled, a pained look on her face. "How does someone…camouflage their DNA?"

The Doctor looked at her with a gentler expression. "With a very rare machine, my dear."

Becky tensed. Steve noticed and sent him a look, but Bucky ignored him. The doctor continued. "It doesn't turn her full human, but rather cause it so every other machine doesn't register anything but perfectly normal human DNA. The downside is that it makes you forget. She has to know nothing of her past, of herself for it to work."

Sharon just looked more confused. "Will she ever remember?"

The doctor's face brightened. "Yes, of course. Everything that she is hidden away in a small, rather unnoticeable artifact."

-X-

Melanie fiddled with the music box as she started blankly at her computer screen waiting for a program to load. Her nightmares were becoming more frequent and she wished there was such a thing as a Dreamless Sleep Potion she read about in Harry Potter. Her latest dream was of a tall woman with red hair, and no matter how hard she tried, she could never reach her. And it made her so sad she found herself crying as she woke up. She also couldn't forget the night Bucky had found her in a fit. The way he held her, she would be lying to herself if she said she didn't like it. They had begun to dance around each other. Small touches here and there, how he stood a little closer, or sat next to her a little closer as if they were kids in junior high school who were too afraid to reveal their crushes. She would again, be lying if she said she hadn't developed some sort of feelings for the man assigned to protect her. But she had to push them away. It was against protocol to develop feelings for your assignments, and plus, James Barnes had plenty of others things on him mind than some silly girl he had to watch over.

Melanie checked the progress of the program. 67%. She signed and tried picking the tiny little lock that sat under Dorothy's red slippers on her music box. Why wouldn't the damn thing just open? It shouldn't be this hard to open a novelty trinket. It shouldn't be bothering her this much, but with her sleep deprived brain, she was growing more and more agitated by the second.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Melanie jumped and whipped around on her couch to find a very annoyed Natasha Romanoff with her arms folded across her chest and a glare on her face.

"Jesus Christ, Natasha!" Melanie clutched her heart chest, her heart pounding. "Do you know what time it is? What are you doing sneaking into my apartment?"

"It's 3am," the agent answered coming around the couch. She gestured at Melanie's laptop. "And I'm coming because you're not very good at hiding. You know SHIELD keeps tabs on its employee's computers, right?"

Melanie started hard at the other woman. "I just want to know why I'm being hunted," she growled through clenched teeth. "And why no one is answering my questions, and why I not only have top agents assigned to me, but Captain America and The Winter Soldier as well. Why am I so damn important that I'm the highest priority on SHIELD's mind right now?"

Natasha returned her stare and didn't answer for a long moment. "Get dressed." She barked.

"Excuse me?"

"You want answers? Let's go. You have two minutes."

-X-

Steve pressed his hands to his face, trying to process the new information. "So the planet is being monitored," he repeated. "By aliens you don't recognize?"

"By aliens who won't let me recognize them," the doctor explained. "Every time I'm close to getting a lock on their systems, it comes back scrambled. And they have perception filters all around their ships. I cannot get a location on any of them. I couldn't even get here by TARDIS. I had to use a vortex manipulator I borrowed from U.N.I.T."

"What's a vortex manipulator?" Coulson asked.

"Cheap time travel," the Doctor mumbled. "Made by humans in the 51st century."

"Who's U.N.I.T.?" Bucky asked.

"United Nations Intelligence Taskforce," Coulson answered before the Doctor could say anything. "Based out of England, led by a Katherine Stewart."

The Doctor looked at him, baffled. "You know her?"

"Not personally," the director answered. "But we keep tabs."

"So what do we do?" Bucky asked, growing annoyed that the conversation was starting to wander. "Hydra wants to make new super soldiers. How do we keep that from happening?"

The doctor straightened and clutched at the small vial containing his daughter's DNA sample. "We have a few options, really. The easy and quick way is to storm in and destroy all of their information and technology. However, their extraterrestrial friends will just end up replacing everything."

"So we take down their friends," said Steve.

"How do we do that if we don't know who, what, or where they are?" Sharon placed her hands on her hips, looking to all the men.

"We don't," the doctor answered her. "So our first task is to find out who they are. No offense, Director Coulson, but Shield does not have the technology we need."

"Is there anyone who does?" Bucky asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes. If it's all right with you Director, I'd like to call in some friends of my own."


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank you all so much for following! I got quite a few e-mails last night and this morning. Thank you! I'd love to hear your thoughts, so leave a review! Enjoy!_

* * *

Natasha led Melanie into Shield headquarters at just past 3:28am. Melanie had to almost jog to keep up with the spy. She hugged the sweater closer to her chest, as it was a chilly night, even inside the building. Natasha had barely given her time to change into normal clothing before dragging her out to her car and racing down the road. She has refused to talk the entire way, ignoring Melanie's questions. Melanie had begun to recognize the drive, even at the speed Natasha was going about halfway to headquarters.

"When are you going to tell me what we're-"

Natasha had led them to Director Coulson's office, and even with the door closed, Melanie could hear the voices.

"Wait here," Natasha told her. She knocked on the door and entered without waiting for an answer.

Melanie huffed and glared at the closing door. She pushed stray curls out of her face and sat on one of the empty hall chairs. She was growing more and more annoyed by the second. She wasn't dumb. She knew there was a lot more than she had been told. That had been what she was trying to find out. In her rushed state, she had forgotten that Shield monitored all employee's laptops and cell phones. It was part of the new job description. After the incident with Hydra, they were not taking any chances. Melanie had thought she didn't mind. Shield was upfront about replacing cell phones with Stark phones and asking all employees to download a program into their computers. She'd probably get in trouble in the morning. If she made it in at all. She huffed and pulled out her cell phone and bringing up a game of solitaire.

-X-

All heads turned toward Natasha as she entered into the office. Bucky glared at her, knowing she was supposed to be on watch at Melanie's apartment.

"Natasha," Coulson said carefully. "You're supposed to-

"Watch Melanie," she said. "Yeah, she's right outside."

The atmosphere changed, and it seemed to buzz with electricity.

"Tasha, are you nuts?" Steve rounded on her, but Sharon grabbed his arm. He looked back at his wife and his gaze was gentler when he turned back to Natasha, but Bucky cut him off.

"You had no right to bring her here," he growled. "Our job was to keep her away as to not trigger any memories. What happens if she starts to remember?"

Natasha raised an eyebrow at him. "What's got you all defensive over her all of a sudden? Last I checked you didn't-oh." She smirked at him and the doctor looked between the two. The doctor looked between the two and Coulson backed up a foot = as to not get in the middle of Black Widow and the Winter Soldier.

"Oh? Oh what?" Bucky straightened to his full height.

Natasha's smirk grew. "Oh, nothing. You'll figure it out."

The Doctor let out an annoyed sigh. "Are we done here? My dau-"he looked at the door. "Melanie is right outside and could very well be hearing all of this. And to answer your questions, no, being near me will not cause her to remember. Opening that music box is the only way her memories will return."

Coulson stepped up to the red headed agent. "Natasha," he said gently. "Why did you bring her here?"

Natasha took in a deep breath and stuck her hands on her hips. "She's getting night terrors, getting antsy. She's not stupid. And from what that file says, she's a decent fighter. We could use her."

The doctor glared at her. "And put her right in the heart of it all? No."

"She needs answers," Natasha retorted. "Whether they're the truth right now or not, we can't just keep telling her that we don't know anything, she's not buying it."

"I'm her father and I'm saying no!"

"We have to tell her something!"

-X-

Melanie looked up from her game of solitaire when she heard the argument break out. She could hear Natasha and Steve over the other voices. She couldn't quite catch the words and she debated on whether she should scoot closer to listen. When she heard Bucky bark "NO!" her decision was made. Melanie glared at the door and slipped her phone in her sweater pocket. She stormed up to Coulson's door and just as she grabbed the handle, it was yanked open, almost pulling her with it. She was met with Bucky, whose hardened expression softened. Past him, she saw all the agents assigned to her, her boss and an older gentleman she didn't recognize.

"Is anyone going to tell me anything?" she hissed before Bucky could speak. Behind him, Melanie could see Natasha cross her arms, Steve hang his head, and Sharon look very guilty. Bucky took her hand and led her away from the office, making sure to close the door behind them. He led her down the hall a ways as to avoid being overheard. Once he was sure they were out of earshot he turned to Melanie. She couldn't quite catch on to the emotions playing across his face, but it made her nervous.

"Bucky, what-"

"We've been lying to you," he mumbled. "Which, you obviously know. And I'm sorry. It was a need to know basis, and you didn't need to know. But something's come up and it's time you weren't left in the dark."

There was something in his voice that Melanie had never heard before. They had spent almost every day together for the past month and she was sure she was seeing Bucky let his guard down for the first time.

"Mel…you weren't hurt in a car accident," he said, looking into her eyes. "You were captured. By Hydra. They were trying to make more super soldiers."

Melanie blinked. It took a few seconds for the information to fully process and when it did, she could feel her chest tighten. She took an uneasy step backwards. "So they were-they wanted, to do to me what they did to you?"

Bucky's gaze fell to the floor. "Yeah."

Melanie couldn't breathe. She grabbed at her chest. "Why? Why me?"

Bucky was quiet and couldn't meet her eyes. When he finally did look up at her, his eyes had darkened and before Melanie could speak again, his lips crashed on hers. The force of him sent the stumbling, but his arms slid around her waist, holding her steady.

"_Where have we landed this time?" Bucky smiled over at the red head on the other side of the console. _

"_One of my favorite places," she peered around, grinning at him. Her curly hair was tied up with some stray pieces falling around her face. She pulled a lever, punched some buttons and the familiar whirring noise told them they landed. "I think we deserve some good old rest and relaxation. Especially after the headache Strax caused. So my dear husband, would you care to join me on a picnic?" _

"_Can't think of a better way to spend my time," Bucky winked at her, and she raced around the console to throw her arms around his neck. _

Bucky pulled away from Melanie and they both gaped wide eyed at each other.


	10. Chapter 10

_So I had something written, but the more I tried the more it didn't feel right. This chapter went on a direction I didn't have planned at all. Again, I know my writings are dialogue heavy, so, sorry about that, but I'm working on getting more description. Also, it's really hard to pin point one POV and it's also hard on you, the reader for POVs to switch in and out of the character. The next chapter will be more central to Melanie and Bucky. Anyways, hope you enjoy. :) _

* * *

Melanie blinked and her gaze fell to her hands, which were clutching at the fabric on his chest. She felt her face grow warm as she realized how much she had enjoyed it. "Well, that was unexpected," she whispered.

"You didn't…see?" Bucky stammered. The vision had been so real, almost as if he had been living it.

Melanie furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

Bucky shook his head and pushed her away a step, his arms falling from her waist. "Nothing, nothing. I was out of line." He cleared his throat. "This whole damn thing's a mess. But, if you come inside we can debrief you about the next mission."

"Mission?" Melanie questioned. She wrapped her arms around herself, seeing the guilt in his eyes. So he was regretting the kiss. Of course, who was she kidding? Stupid teenage crush. That's what she gets for letting herself fall.

Bucky nodded. "We're teaming up with what's called U.N.I.T, or the United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, based out of the UK. We're heading out next week."

Something went off in Melanie's brain. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew what Unit was. But she couldn't bring up any memories about it. No images, no names, nothing, but she knew in her gut that it meant something. "That sounds familiar," she mumbled. "Unit? Unit."

"Come on," Bucky said, gesturing towards Coulson's office. "Since it doesn't look like anyone's getting any sleep tonight-" Bucky looked down at his metal hand, where Melanie had taken hold. She stepped up to him and left barely any space between them.

"I just want to say thank you," Melanie said quietly. "For looking after me."

"I wasn't the only one," Bucky whispered.

"I know," Melanie replied. "but you were there the most, even though you didn't want to be." She quickly leaned up and kissed his cheek before hurrying into Coulson's office.

All eyes turned onto Melanie as she stepped into the office, her arms folded across her chest. "So," she said. "No more lies?"

A beat of silence and the older man she didn't recognize spoke up. "Melanie, I'm the Doctor, I'm working with U.N.I.T and Shield on this case and perhaps you should take a seat."

Melanie glared at him, taking in his blue suit and felt something in his gaze before sitting down on the couch next to Sharon. The blonde woman laid a hand on her knee and gave it a squeeze. "Melanie, I'm sorry we tried to make a cover. It seems like it wasn't the best idea."

Bucky walked into the office and leaned back against the wall, arms folded and his expression carefully guarded.

"Melanie," Coulson approached her and knelt in front of her. "It was my call to keep you in the dark, and I want to apologize because it wasn't a good decision. I let my feelings take over and let my mind cloud and I thought it was best for you. Hydra took you to make it personal. They took you to get to me, and I am so, so sorry I lied. Can you find it in your heart to forgive your favorite uncle?"

Melanie felt like a bus ran into her chest. Of all the things she was expecting, it wasn't that. "Uncle?"

A sad smile spread on Coulson's face. "Your mother was my sister, she and your father died when you were a teenager. They were some of Shield's best agents. I'm sorry I kept the truth from you. I panicked, thought that you'd be happier not knowing. I can see I was wrong. You're just like your mother."

Tears were stinging Melanie's eyes. Of all the things she expected, this wasn't one of them. She had been questioning about her parents, but had been afraid to ask. Thoughts raced around in her head and she took a deep breath to try and settle her mind. "Uncle," she breathed. "I don't…remember…"

"Hydra tried to do to you what they did to Sergeant Barnes," Coulson said gently. "Wiped your memory. It's going to be a while before it comes back. It's why I assigned him to you. To help you remember. It's going to be a long process, but thankfully we found you before anything worse happened."

Melanie looked up to Bucky, but he turned away. Her chest grew tighter. "I-" Her throat was too tight to speak and she buried her face in her hands. Sharon slid an arm around her shoulders. It took a few minutes for Melanie to shop shaking. She shrugged Sharon's arm off and ran from the room.

"Let her be," the Doctor said as Steve and Natasha moved to go after her. "You did well, Director Coulson. Even I was almost convinced."

"I don't see how another lie is going to solve anything," Sharon snapped, her glare full of ice.

"We are doing exactly as Melanie asked," the Doctor said. "She left instructions that I intend to follow. Hydra isn't working alone. Melanie is being hunted and this is the only way to keep her and the planet safe."

Sharon scoffed. "Again, I don't see how we can't find another solution."

"The family after Melanie are hunters, predators, Mrs. Rogers. They have Melanie's scent. They are locked onto her DNA. So Melanie did the only thing she could."

"Ripping herself a part?" Bucky growled.

The Doctor's gaze softened as his eyes fell on Bucky. "In a sense, yes," he answered. "I was once hunted by another family of this race. I did the same thing, a long time ago."

"What happened then?" Steve asked quietly.

The Doctor stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I stopped them. Threw them off my tail long enough for them to start dying. They need host bodies or else they fade away. But even the hosts they take don't last long so they jump from one body to another."

Sharon looked like she was going to be sick and Steve took her hand.

"So they could be anyone?" There was a slight hint of fear in Natasha's voice.

"Yes," said the Doctor. "Thor and Lady Sif said they managed to steer them away from Earth for the time being. Gave them a false lead that Melanie is near the Kasterberus Constellation. Sergeant Barnes, perhaps you should go after Melanie now. And give her this." He tossed a small vial with clear liquid across the room and Bucky caught it with ease. "It'll help her to sleep and keep the dreams at bay."

Bucky nodded and left the room. The Doctor let out a sigh. "Mrs. Rogers, you can stop glaring at me," he said quietly.

Sharon stood and crossed the room to approach the older man. "I'm sorry, but this whole thing is getting ridiculous. I'm tired of not having answers, and I'm tired of hurting Melanie. What's going to happen when she does get her memories back?"

"Shall I show you the message my daughter left?"

The Doctor picked up the tablet off of Coulson's desk and pulled an instrument out of his hidden jacket pocket. It was cylinder shaped, with a light on the end that was glowing green. It made a sort of buzzing noise as he pointed it at the tablet. An image appeared on the screen of a young woman with brown hair that looked vaguely familiar to Steve. The Doctor handed the tablet over to Sharon and Steve, Natasha, and Coulson huddled around her. The Doctor tapped the screen and the video started.

"My name is Serena Amelia Song," her accent was Scottish and a bit thicker than the Doctor's. "I am the Doctor's daughter, and if you're watching this then it only means one thing. That they found me and I had to resort to desperate measures. Back in the 1930's I was a lab assistant to Doctor Abraham Erskine, helping him to create a serum that would change the world. But I wasn't just an assistant. I was an ingredient. Doctor Erskine's secret to his formula was me. My DNA. The serum doesn't fully work without it. And if you're watching this message, then HYDRA knows and there is only one thing left to do. I have to not be a Timelord. It's the only way. If I am captured, it will render me useless. My blood will read as pure human, nothing more. If Hydra gets their hands on my true DNA, then they will be unstoppable because they are not working alone."

The video stopped and all eyes turned to Steve, who had paused the video. He was staring at it with an unreadable expression. "I know her," he said.

"Well of course you do, you've been-"

"No," Steve cut the Doctor off. "She was Bucky's date at the Stark Expo the night before he shipped out."

* * *

_Well. That's a shocker isn't it? ;) (And yes, I know his date was Jenna Louise Coleman who is Clara, but Clara doesn't have anything to do with this story. So, no conspiracies. :P) _


	11. Chapter 11

_Apparently I've got the writing bug. That always happens when you have things to do. Like get your booth ready for a comic con happening in the morning. Happy Friday! I'll be Black Widow tomorrow at a local comic con. So I'll be fighting bad guys. Usual Saturday. ;) _

* * *

The Doctor glared at Steve. "I beg your pardon?"

Steve sighed and took a moment. "She said her name was Connie," he said quietly. "She and Bucky started to get pretty close."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "How close?"

Steve swallowed and tried to find the right words. "They weren't very serious, but Bucky liked her a lot. Although he never admitted it. He was afraid of not coming back from the war." Steve struggled to get the last part out, and Sharon laced her fingers with his, giving her husband silent support.

"Has Barnes seen this?" Natasha nodded to the video.

"No," the Doctor answered. "This is the first time anyone besides myself is seeing this. And quite frankly, I'm not sure if Sergeant Barnes should see-"

"Bucky has every right to see this!" Steve snapped, startling them all. "This directly involves him and he shouldn't be kept-"

"I know what he's been through, Captain, which is exactly why I don't think it-"

"You don't get to make that call!"

"This is MY daughter-"

"Who was directly involved with me and Bucky and-"

"Yes, it seems she and Barnes were very involved-"

"Enough!" Sharon planted herself in between her husband and the Doctor, a hand pushing on each of their chests. All eyes turned to Sharon, who had never looked so angry. "This is what is going to happen," her voice was laced with venom. "We are going to finish this video WITH Bucky. This has everything to do with him and my husband, not only you Doctor. We will keep going with Coulson's niece story like we should have in the first place. We will tell her what she needs to know to keep Melanie satisfied, but if she starts persisting again, we WILL tell her the truth and we WILL take these bastards down. Is that clear?"

There was a moment of silence where no one dared move for fear of setting Sharon off again. "Perfectly, Agent Carter," the Doctor said quietly, closing the cover on the tablet.

Coulson was looking at Sharon with a small smile and a hint of pride in his eyes. "Agent Carter how do you feel about a promotion?"

Sharon snapped her attention to the director. "What?"

"I think you're the perfect person to lead this assignment," he explained. "But right now, I think we should all go home and get some rest. We're all tired, and it'll just make arguing worse. We'll meet back here tomorrow morning to finish this message with Sergeant Barnes present. You're all dismissed."

Bucky found Melanie huddled in a dark corner down the hall from the office. She had pulled her legs up to her chest, burying her face into her knees. Seeing her, Bucky's stomach turned. He hated lying to her over and over. Filling her with a life that didn't exist. It hit too close to home. If he had it his way, he'd tell her the truth. He contemplated throwing everything out the door and telling her so. An annoying voice in the back of his head that sounded a lot like Steve's told him not to. That compromising the mission, the entire planet, wasn't worth a moment of weakness. Bucky sighed and knelt down next to her, gently laying a hand on her shoulder as not to scare her.

"Melanie-" he choked, surprised the contents of his stomach didn't come up.

"No," she whispered through sobs. "Please, just don't."

Bucky let her compose herself, hearing her deep breaths. She lifted her head, her eyes bloodshot and puffy and tear tracks down her cheeks. "Do the lies ever stop?"

Bucky inclined his head in a silent question.

"I may not remember anything," she continued. "But I'm getting pretty good at knowing when someone is lying. Coulson shouldn't have put me in charge of the polygraphs."

Bucky wanted to laugh. "What do you want me to say?"

Melanie raised an eyebrow. "What do you think? The truth. Why isn't anything telling me the truth?"

Bucky sighed and shifted so that he was sitting next to her against the wall. He had no idea where to even begin. He couldn't tell her she was an alien from outer space, nor that her father was just down the hallway without jeopardizing millions of innocent people. It was almost comical how out of hand the entire situation was becoming. The world's top intelligence agency and they were fumbling around like children in a spy game.

"Hydra didn't take you to get to Coulson," he said at last. "They took you because they wanted you. You're a pretty important person, Mel. The thing is though…you knew this would happen." Bucky looked back to her and met wide hazel eyes. "You knew Hydra might take you, and you left us instructions to follow. That's what we're doing. Or trying to at least. Not doing the best job of it apparently."

"It's a big fat mess," Melanie grumbled. She let her legs slide down and swallowed. "That I'm in charge of?"

"So to speak."

Melanie squeezed her eyes shut, trying to wrap her mind around this information.

"Mel," Bucky turned to her. "I can't tell you why, nor can I tell you of your past. Honestly, I don't know much about it myself. But I can't keep lying to you. I lived that way and I'm not going to make anyone else suffer through it. What I can tell you, is that you're going to have to play along with the niece story for a while."

"Why?" Melanie cut him off. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because we're dealing with outside forces-"

"Hydra."

"No."

Melanie blinked. "What?"

"Would you believe me if I told you it was aliens?"

Steve stormed into his apartment ahead of his wife. The ride home had been tense and Sharon was surprised they hadn't been pulled over at the speed Steve was driving. She had never seen him so upset and angry and disappointed. The doctor had given them a file that Melanie had kept containing information on her and Erskine's work. Sharon had held on to it during the trip home. Neither of them had said a word.

"Stweetheart-" Sharon said laid a hand on his arm but he snapped around and she took a step back. His eyes were red and they shone with tears that hadn't fallen yet.

"Am I-"He cut himself off, holding a hand over his mouth. "Is everything... I thought Doctor Erskine was different. Honest."

"Honey, I-"

"_When are people going to stop lying to me, Sharon!?_" Steve's outburst caused Sharon to flinch, the manila folder crinkling in her hands. "Am I…are we all just puppets? In some game? I joined the army to protect people, because I wanted to do the right thing! I tried so hard to get in, and for what? We didn't stop Hydra, we didn't win the war. What is the point anymore, Sharon?"

Sharon's heart shattered at the look of defeat on Steve's face. She dropped the folder and threw her arms around his neck. They sunk to the floor, his head buried into her shoulder, holding her almost too tight. He shook in her arms and she tried to find words to comfort him, but none came.

"You going to be okay?"

Bucky looked over to the passenger seat of his car where Melanie sat with her arms folded, staring ahead. She was silent for a moment before answering. "I'm an amnesiac who's being hunted by aliens. Yeah. Dandy."

Well, anger was better than numb. "Mel-"

"Tell me again, why you can't tell me my real name? I just…you didn't explain it real well and I just…why?" She turned to him, her eyes were still red, but the puffiness from crying had faded. Her face now showed exhaustion.

Bucky turned the key and the engine roared to life. "Remember when we watched Harry Potter?"

Melanie blinked. "Yeah but why-"

"Remember in the last one, where if they said Voldemort's name his followers found exactly where they were?"

Melanie stared at him. Bucky only had to wait ten seconds before it clicked. "There's a tracker on my name!? What kind of aliens are we-!"

Bucky pressed a hand over her mouth. "Keep your voice down." He removed his hand. "Yes, there's some sort of tracker on your name. At least, that's how I understood it. There's a lot of this that I don't understand."

Melanie settled back down in the seat as Bucky drove out of the lot. She wasn't happy, but at least she was getting some sort of the truth. And seeing who Bucky really was behind the façade of being buddies for the past few weeks. He wasn't so loose and snarky as he had put up. Melanie had a feeling he hid behind his old self during their time together. She wondered if it had been easy for him, to put up the front of the Bucky Barnes before WWII. The way he acted now, scanning his surroundings, quieter, and more intimidating. However, she wasn't afraid of him.

"You're staring," he commented halfway back to her apartment.

"I think I'm just starting to see the real you," she said quietly.

He raised an eyebrow but kept his eyes on the road.

"Thank you."

They pulled into their apartment complex. "For what?" Bucky asked.

"For helping me."

Bucky turned the car off and gave her a small smile. "You're welcome."

"Now…about that kiss earlier…"


End file.
